Top 3 Aviation and Airline Topics for 2022

Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash

Ten years ago, many pilots would have had no ideas of today’s aviation industry. TSA security and potential terrorism may have still been at the top of many airlines’ lists of issues, while 2021 saw pandemic-related travel bans along with violent and scared passengers.

What will be the top aviation and airline issues of 2022? Here are our predictions for the top 3 topics for the coming new year.

Infrastructure Incoming

One surprise of 2021 was the passage of an actual infrastructure bill, a promise from politicians that hasn’t materialized in decades. For the aviation industry, this bill has a chance to revitalize the experience for both passengers and crews in terminals.

The infrastructure bill will also put a focus on repairing and renovating runways all across the country. In addition to the improved safety, this may allow for additional flights and new routes for commercial airline pilots.

Global Safety Debates

Unfortunately, with the discovery of the new Omicron variant, it doesn’t seem like the coronovirus is going away until we work our way through the entire Greek Alphabet. The ongoing pandemic will continue to force debates between airlines and workers about vaccine mandates, booster mandates, and mask policies. And these debates will trickle down to the passengers themselves.

Meanwhile, travel bans will have a financial impact on airlines, and a permanent global safety regime could result in volatile travel schedules for airlines and pilots, as flights get canceled with each news update. These economic impacts are also global in nature, due to the aviation industry itself and the globalized economy.

Cybersecurity

While traditional terrorism remains a potential threat, we expect to see a renewed focus on cybersecurity in 2022. The aviation industry has already seen breaches into ticketing and scheduling programs, and the possibility for much worse outcomes exists. It doesn’t take a James Bond villain to figure out the potential for chaos if a nefarious organization gained control of various airline and aviation networks.

We expect the TSA and Department of Homeland Security to put even more emphasis into securing our networks from cyber threats. 2020 and 2021 showed us the threat of a biological virus. It’s up to our security agencies to protect us from a digital one.